“27 SECONDS” - NEW EXHIBITION HONORING THE
HEROES WHO DIED IN THE APOLLO 1 EXPLOSION –
TO OPEN AT THE INTREPID SEA, AIR & SPACE MUSEUM
SATURDAY, JUNE 12TH

“27 Seconds,” a new exhibition that tells the story of the 1967 Apollo 1 tragedy when, during routine tests, a fire took the lives of astronauts Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee, will open at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, located at Pier 86 (46th Street and 12th Avenue) in Manhattan, on Saturday, June 12th.

“27 Seconds” explores the circumstances and the impact surrounding this first American space program tragedy. Beginning with a timeline of the different phases of American’s race to the Moon; Mercury, followed by Gemini and finally Apollo, the exhibition includes a video of President John F. Kennedy’s famous race to the moon speech and highlights the special role that the USS Intrepid played while acting as a space capsule recovery ship for the early NASA missions.

Among the treasured objects that will be displayed in the exhibition are Roger Chaffee’s flight jumpsuit, a plaque that crew members of the USS Intrepid once presented to Gus Grissom, copies of NASA’s investigation report, photographs of the investigation, rare images of the three astronauts and the Western Union telegram that was sent to Chaffee’s family informing them of his death. The artifacts on display are from several museums from around the country as well as from the private collection of the Chaffee family.

The name of the exhibition, “27 Seconds,” represents the amount of time that passed from when the spark ignited the fire to the final voice transmission from the Apollo 1 crew.

The exhibition will run through November 21, 2010 and is free with the price of admission to the museum. For more information, visit www.intrepidmuseum.org.

About the Museum
The newly renovated Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum complex includes the 900-foot-long aircraft carrier ‘Intrepid’ with seven full decks and four theme halls; the guided missile submarine Growler; and an extensive collection of over 30 aircraft including the A-12 Blackbird, the fastest plane in the world, and the British Airways Concorde, the fastest commercial aircraft in the world. Guests can experience newly opened areas of the ship including the fo’c’sle (commonly known as the anchor chain room), new multimedia presentations and exhibit collections, interactive educational stations and a brand new state-of-the-art public pier.

Also new to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum is the 12,240 square-foot interactive Exploreum – which contains 18 different hands-on exhibits – that teaches guests about the different properties of the sea, air, space and living at sea as each relates to the ship Intrepid. In the Exploreum, guests can experience a flight simulator, climb a cargo net, transmit messages using Morse code, crawl through living quarters of crewmembers, learn how the Intrepid turned salt water into fresh water and perform various tasks while wearing space gloves.
Museum Hours:
Monday – Friday, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Saturday – Sunday, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Cost of Admission:
Adult: $22.00
Seniors and College Students: $18.00
Youth 3-17 and Veterans: $17.00
Active Military, Retired Military and Children Under 3: Free
All tickets are subject to a $2.00 facility fee.

Public Transportation:
Directions by NYC Metro Bus
Take cross-town buses west. M34 (34th Sts), M42 (42nd St.) or M-50 (49th St.) to 12th Ave. and Hudson River. Intrepid is a short walk North from the M34 and M42. The M50 drops off immediately in front of the Intrepid.

Directions by NYC Metro Subway
Take the A, C, E, N, Q, R, S, W, 1, 2, 3 or 7 train to 42nd St., then walk or take the M-42 West Bus to Hudson River (12th Ave). Walk North to Intrepid.

Directions from Water
Take New York Water Taxi to Pier 84 and walk a block north to the Intrepid Museum. Or from New Jersey take the New York Waterway to Midtown (38th Street) and walk north on 12th Ave to the museum.